Input device with forward/backward control

In a computer system having a display, an input device, and a keyboard, a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

• receiving an input device message indicative of an input device event;
• identifying at least one focus application as having a current keyboard focus, the current keyboard focus such that keyboard messages indicative of keyboard activity are sent to the focus application;
• determining if a graphical user interface is associated with the input device message and focus application;
• if a graphical user interface is associated with the input device message and focus application, displaying the graphical user interface instead of converting the input device message into a command for the focus application;
• waiting for the user to select an item displayed in the graphical user interface;
• converting the selected item into a command for the focus application;
• and
• sending the command to the focus application.

In a computer system capable of executing instructions and generating images on a display, a mouse having a palm rest area and a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

• generating at least one of five mouse input values, each mouse input value capable of having one of only two states;
• executing an application that displays document pages in a temporally serial manner on a display;
• identifying when a first mouse input value is in a first state;
• and
• causing the application to display a previously displayed document page based in part on the first mouse input value being in the first state regardless of the position of a cursor on the display.

A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure generated by a mouse, the data structure comprising:

• a first eight-bit byte having a first bit indicative of the state of a first button of the mouse, a second bit indicative of the state of a second button of the mouse, a third bit indicative of the state of a third button of the mouse, a fourth bit set to one, a fifth bit indicative of the direction of movement of the mouse along a first line, a sixth bit indicative of the direction of movement of the mouse along a second line perpendicular to the first line, a seventh bit indicative of an overflow condition related to the distance the mouse moved along the first line, and an eighth bit indicative of an overflow condition related to the distance the mouse moved along the second line;
• a second eight-bit byte that together with the fifth bit of the first eight-bit byte represents the direction and distance the mouse moved along the first line, the second eight-bit byte containing all ones when the seventh bit of the first eight-bit byte is one and the fifth bit of first eight-bit byte is zero;
• a third eight-bit byte that together with the sixth bit of the first eight-bit byte represents the distance the mouse moved along the second line, the third eight-bit byte containing all ones when the eighth bit of the first eight-bit byte is one and the sixth bit of first eight-bit byte is zero;
• and
• a fourth eight-bit byte comprising first, second, third and fourth bits together representing an amount and a direction of angular rotation of a wheel on the mouse, a fifth bit representing the state of a fourth button on the mouse, and a sixth bit representing the state of a fifth button on the mouse.

A method in a computer system having a mouse and a mouse driver, the method comprising steps of:

• the mouse driver receiving a mouse identification from the mouse;
• the mouse driver determining if the mouse has at least four buttons based on the mouse identification;
• the mouse driver passing at least one command to the mouse to activate a fourth button of the four buttons;
• and
• the mouse activating the fourth button based on the at least one command.

A mouse for a computer system comprising:

• a movement sensor, capable of detecting movement of the mouse across a surface and of generating a signal based on the detected movement;
• a casing, at least partially containing the movement sensor and providing a palm contact area;
• three depressible top surfaces located along a top portion of the casing;
• and
• at least two active thumb button actuators, at least partially contained by the casing and exposed along a side of the casing, each thumb button actuator capable of generating an electrical signal that exclusively indicates whether the actuator is being pressed.